A Friend's Work Is Never Finished
by GhostNappa1214
Summary: One-shot. Nothing's ever easy when you fall in love with your best friend. Especially when Gary Oak knows about it. Pokeshipping. Rated T to be on the safe side for some swearing. R&R if you feel like it


A Friend's Work is Never Finished

This is it, guys; my first fanfic. Hope you all enjoy. Maybe drop a review when you're done?

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or its characters.

"So…when you gonna tell her?"

The young man with raven black hair didn't even register that his childhood rival was talking to him.

"Hellooo, Earth to Ashy-boy!"

Without looking, Ash just mumbled "Huh? You say something Gar?"

Gary just chuckled "I was just wondering when you were gonna tell Red you were in love with her."

That got Ash's attention. "Im not in love with Misty!" an all too flustered Ash exclaimed.

Gary smirked at his reaction. "Really? Then what the hell have you been staring at for the past half hour?"

Had it really been that long that he was staring at her?

After a long pause of thinking of what to say he lamely stated "…the Pokemon"

"Yeah, that's total Tauros-shit. I've seen the look you've given Pokemon, and that's not even close. So unless you start humping one in the next five minutes, maybe you should rethink your answer."

He was caught. As these two young men were talking and sunbathing on the beach, barely 20 feet ahead of them was the beautiful redhead in question. She was playing with her Pokemon and trying to teach her Psyduck how to swim, a yellow Pikachu by her side also trying to help with the confused duck. Although he wouldn't admit to having feelings for the girl out loud, and even though he knew that Gary saw right through him, he would still deny everything. Well, maybe not everything. He would definitely admit that she was very nice to look at.

Ten years ago was the first time he saw her in a bikini, and although she had been a bit on the scrawny side, he kinda liked what he saw. Now just entering her twenties, she was a work of art. She had developed well-defined long legs and midsection that showed she was a strong swimmer. He arms, although slender, showed a little definition themselves. Her once mid-level hair that was always in a signature side ponytail had been grown out to the middle of her back and worn down, much to Ash's liking. She had also gained an hour-glass figure, her curves and beauty surpassing even her famous "Sensational Sisters."

The way the waves were crashing up on her made her body glisten, and if Ash didn't know better, he would say that he was looking at an angel. He was awestruck and there was very little he could do to take his eyes off her. It was a good thing it was just the three of them on the beach, because he would have a hard time keeping himself together if there were other men around to gawk at his best friend. While in the city, she could easily catch the attention of others just by walking down the street in regular clothes. In a bikini? She would be surrounded in a heartbeat.

"So I think she's nice to look at. It doesn't mean I'm in love with her"

Gary quirked his eyebrow "That answer is unacceptable as well."

That got Ash riled up. "Whaddaya mean that's unacceptable! You think some women are nice to look at, it doesn't mean you're in love with them!"

"That's true, but I haven't known those women as long as you've known Red. Besides, that's the only woman I've seen you give that look to. That awestruck 'she's so amazing' look. Seriously, its like you've got friggin hearts in your eyes."

"Shut up, its not like that.."

"So you're saying that you have no romantic feelings for her at all?"

"That's what Im saying."

Gary sighed. Why did Ash have to be so freaking stubborn? _Alright, Ashy-boy, you wanna play it like that? Game on._

He smiled cheekily "Good. Now I can ask her out without a guilty conscience."

That made Ash sweat bullets. He could feel the blood rush to his face and his whole body tighten up with something he couldn't describe. If it were any cooler outside, you might be able to see the smoke coming out of his ears. Then he remembered something. Misty couldn't stand Gary's womanizing ways. He was a player. She had better taste in men than that. Sure, Gary could be charming when he wanted to be, and he was a hot commodity according to some tabloids the researcher had been in. Standing six feet tall with a semi-muscular torso and spiky chestnut hair that always seemed to be all over the place in an apparently "sexy" kind of way. Ash just thought it made him look like a hedgehog. Still, there was no chance in hell that Misty would say yes. So he made his decision.

"Sure, go ahead."

Gary sighed. _He won't even admit it to himself, will he?_

"Not that I need your permission Ashy-boy, but thanks anyway." He smirked and walked toward the water

Misty was oblivious to what just happened, still trying to stay calm at the fact that Psyduck wouldn't let go of Starmie.

"Come on you stupid duck, you've got floats on, you're not gonna sink!"

"Still having problems, Red?"

She let the annoying nickname slide this time as she was too focused on other things at the moment.

"This duck will be the death of me."

He laughed, "So you wanna go out to dinner tonight?"

"Well, yeah. We've gone out to dinner night. Why would tonight be any different?"

"Cause Ashy-boy won't be coming with us."

"What? Why not?"

"He said he's gonna do some extra training to prepare for the Elite Four. He only has three days left."

She had almost forgotten about that. Ash Ketchum, her best friend, had just won the Indigo League earlier in the week. It was a such a close final match between him and Richie. They were down to one pokemon each, and it wasn't what she expected. She thought if it came down to that, it would be Pikachu against Sparky. Everyone in the stadium was surprised to see both be sent out fifth. It was almost as if they both had a secret plan. And what a secret it was, seeing Ash's Charizard come out of the final Poke'ball and the release of Richie's new Aerodactyl. Misty almost laughed when she saw Ash shudder on his podium at the sight of the prehistoric Pokemon. He never had a good interaction with one. It looked like it was going to be a tough match to the end. Charizard had other ideas. He seemed to have a personal vendetta against Aerodactyl, considering it was the reason he evolved. Now that Charizard was actually listening to Ash, they were able to take out the bird with minimal damage taken.

As Ash was returning Charizard, Misty leapt over the barricade and rushed the field, almost tackling Ash in a hug. When they finally parted, she realized how much he had changed. Now having to look up into his eyes, she noticed how much taller he was than her now. Standing six foot one, he towered over her five foot six frame and his once boyish body was now athletically toned and tan, showing that his years on the road. There was also a hint of stubble on his face that had tickled her cheek when they embraced. She couldn't help but blush at the thought of how attractive he really was. The rush of Ash's other friends and media had broken her out of her daze from the fact that her best friend and secret love was really a man now.

After the Champion's Ceremony, Ash was allowed a one week all-expenses-paid vacation at a resort in the Orange Islands to rest before his battles with the Elite Four. He was allowed to take two people with him. His first choice, of course, was to take Misty and Brock. Brock, who would have loved to go, had to tend to his duties at his Breeding Center, which had only been open for a couple of months.

Ash's next choice was Gary. Even though they were rivals when they started their journey, they were best friends in their early childhood and were able to reconnect that brotherly bond in their early teens after Gary decided to follow in his grandfather's footsteps.

So here they were; four days later, relaxing on the beach, seemingly without a care in the world.

Finally, Misty decided "Well, then maybe we should just eat at the Pokemon Center. It wouldn't be fair to Ash to go to a nice place without him."

"I already asked him that. He assured me he was fine with it." _Why is she making this so difficult?_

"Okay, sure. Help me put my Pokemon away so we can go back to the hotel and change."

Gary and Misty went on their way to a nice restaurant, telling stories about Gary and Ash's childhood, Misty's adventures with Ash, and a little about themselves that the other didn't know. Finally, Misty had to ask the one question that's been bugging her.

"Gary, why were you so adamant about taking me out to dinner? I mean, this place is amazing and I'm having a good time, but it feels a little weird without Ash here. It's almost like an awkward date." She had to chuckle nervously at that last part, not wanting to offend the chestnut haired man.

"Ashy-boy said he wanted to be alone. He needed to 'collect his thoughts' or whatever." Blatant lie. Okay, so he's trying to do this for Ash's own good. He clearly has feelings for the girl sitting right here, so he's either trying to hide that fact from himself or the world. Gary needed to take Misty out and have Ash think it was a date. If he knew the boy as well as he thought he did, Ash would re-evaluate everything that occurred today from their little conversation. He almost had to suppress a laugh at that. If this were a couple of years ago, Ash wouldn't re-evaluate anything. Hell, he'd barely even evaluate. That once dense boy had sure come a long way.

"Collect his thoughts? He has those?" They share a laugh at that.

"Gary, tell me something. Has he been acting a little weird lately?"

"He always acts a little weird."

"Yeah, I know, but he seems more lost in thought and distant recently."

It was impossible to miss the look of worry that crossed her face as she said that. Gary kind of felt bad for putting her in this position, but if he were to be honest with himself, this was Ash's fault and he has to help his idiot friend out.

"He just has a lot on his mind. He'll be okay." He gave her a reassuring smile

"He's never been this worried about a battle before, though. That's it isn't it?"

"Yeah, sure."

"That idiot! Why didn't he come talk to me about this!" she cried out

At this point, Gary was genuinely confused and a little scared for his life. He had heard about the girl's temper that could rival that of the very Gyarados she carries around, but had only seen her rage unleashed on Ash. Now though, Ash was nowhere around and Gary was the poor soul right in her line of fire.

"I'm his best friend! He should talk to me if he's feeling scared or has doubts about himself! He never kept things from me before, and I'll be damned if he will now!" she yelled as she started to storm out.

"Where are you going?" Gary had to ask

"To talk to the idiot!"

As she was about to turn around and walk out the restaurant, Gary quickly got up from the table and caught her arm. Just as she was about to retort, he said "Look, at least promise to go easy on the poor guy and hear him out at first. Then you can pummel him all you want afterward, okay?"

She gave a quick evil smile before leaving "I can promise to try."

Gary smirked to himself _Alright Ashy-boy, I set it up for you. Now its all on you to close it out and make that woman yours. _

After they left for dinner, Ash was alone in his room of the 3 room suite and he was livid.

"I can't believe it! She said yes to him?! I thought for sure she had better taste and class than that!"

Pikachu, being the only one able to hear his tirade, gave his friend a worried look

"Pikapi.."

The raven haired man looked down at his partner. "Sorry buddy, I don't mean to yell at you, but I just really can't believe it."

Looking out his window, he saw the sun setting over the horizon and thought about how beautiful the ocean looked with that orange tint. _Huh, it's the same color as Misty's hair… _Just the thought of her made a frustrated growl escape his lips. _Get ahold of yourself, Ketchum, and try not to think about her._

"Come on, buddy. Let's go for a walk. I need to clear my head."

The little yellow mouse followed his friend out the door and down to the pier. It was starting to get twilight and Ash could start to see the twinkling of stars. It made him think of the twinkle in Misty's eyes whenever there was a water pokemon around. He put his hands up to his face.

"How come every time I look at something or think of something, it always comes back to thinking about Misty? Am I that crazy about her?"

He just sighed in defeat. Yes, he was. Everything she did brought a smile to his face. The way she would light up around water pokemon, the way she would smile at him when he did something to make her laugh, even when they argued. He loved to argue with her and rile her up just as much as he loved to make her laugh. Hell, he loved everything about her. But what would come of their friendship if he told her how he felt? There were three scenarios that went on in his head at that moment:

_She could tell me she feels the same way, and we'll have that fairy tale ending that she always tells me she reads about and wants to find.(the one I want, but is highly unlikely)_

_She could laugh in my face and call me an idiot.(cause she does that no matter what I do) or_

_She'll say she doesn't feel the same way, and will either end our friendship right there, or it will become too awkward and our friendship will end anyway(most likely to occur along with 2)_

"A one in three chance? Not sure I like those odds…" he said aloud. He looked down to see his Pikachu had fallen asleep on his stomach. Not wanting to wake his partner, he decided to stay put and gaze up at the stars some more.

Suddenly, he heard some rustling in the bushes. Not sure if it was a pokemon or an unfriendly, he started to poke Pikachu.

"Buddy wake up, something's coming."

The yellow mouse just rolled over and fell back to sleep. Rolling his eyes, he gently laid his partner down on the ground and grabbed a nearby rock for protection just in case. As he picked it up, he heard someone call his name.

"…Ash are you out here?..."

"Mist?, What are you doing here, I thought you were out with Gary?"

She remembered the promise she made before she left and will 'try to hear him out first,' so she kept her temper in check for now.

"I was, but I came out here to find you."  
Before he could ask why, she continued

"He told me what's been on your mind."

Too many emotions to count ran through Ash's mind at that point. He couldn't even process the anger at Gary, the embarrassment at himself, and the fear from Misty knowing. He did the only logical thing he could think of. Deny it.

"No he didn't."

Misty saw the look in Ash's face and even though she knew him well, she had never seen that look before. He was usually an open book and wore his heart on his sleeve, but at this point, she couldn't tell what he was feeling. She did sense the uncomfortable vibe coming from his body and the uneasiness in his voice. _Was there a little anger, too? _She couldn't tell, but she would find out.

"Yeah, he did."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"How was I supposed to tell you how I was feeling?"

The nerve of Gary! Even though he never admitted it, he knew that Gary could see right through him. That didn't give him the right to go and tell her! The things that were going through Ash's mind about what to do to Gary he never imagined doing to any other human being. Not even his hatred for Team Rocket was worse than his hatred for Gary right now. He did know one thing, Gary would have a very hard time walking for a few days.

"I don't know, you always managed to before! I'm supposed to be your best friend!"

She was getting upset with him now. She'd give him a little more time to explain himself, then her promise would be kept and she can beat the shit out of him.

"Exactly! You're supposed to be my best friend! I'm not supposed to be in love with you!"

That was something she didn't expect at all. All of her temper was now set aside, her body now occupied with confusion and a little bit of hope.

"What?" was all that she could manage to escape her lips in that moment

Now Ash was the one that was confused. So he just repeated her "Wait, what?"

"You love me?"

That confused Ash even more. Wasn't she the one that was supposed to know that already? Something wasn't right here, and he was going to do what he did best in this situation. Deny.

"…no?" _Way to go Ketchum, that sounded convincing. _"Wait, what did Gary tell you?"

She was thankful for the slight pause, as she needed time to find her voice again. "He said that you were worried about the upcoming battles with the Elite Four, and that you were starting to feel the pressure."

Now he felt like an idiot and a horrible friend. Not to Misty, but for what he did to Gary in his mind. He'd not only have to apologize for that, but for thinking that his friend would betray his trust. He'd give Gary props later, for now, he had a bigger obstacle to deal with.

"…oh…" was all he managed to say

There was a long pause after that. The two of them just stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, chocolate brown meeting Cerulean blue. Misty was the first to find the courage to speak

"So…you love me?"

Ash sighed in defeat without breaking eye contact. "Yeah, I do. I'm sorry."

Misty tilted her head to the side a little bit, which Ash thought was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen "Why are you apologizing? Girls like to hear that kind of thing."

Ash sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he looked down "Yeah, I know, but you're my best friend. I shouldn't be feeling like this towards you."

What happened next surprised him. She walked up to him and took his hands into hers. He tried to hide his blush at the contact and slowly moved his head up to look at her. She had a small smile on her face and spoke in such a kind voice that made his knees want to go weak.

"Listen to me, Ash. It makes perfect sense that you would fall for your best friend. You know stuff about the other person that no one else does. You share a special bond that no one could ever imagine to have with anyone else. Best friends know the other better than they know themselves. Once you find that person that you're so close to, everything just feels right when they're around. You know all their strengths and weaknesses and how amazing they can be to everyone they meet, from strangers to legendary pokemon. You know how heroic they can be, despite the fact that they seem to have no regard for their own life…" to which she gave him a look that clearly said '_That's you, stupid.'_

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, that at some point, I fell in love with you, too."

That made Ash's ears perk up and put a new spark in his eyes that Misty hadn't seen since he became Champion four days ago. He was starting to act like Ash again, only this time he did something she didn't expect from him. He closed the gap between their faces and kissed her lips.

Years of hidden emotions came out in that moment from both of them. Ash took his hand out of hers and put it on her cheek, while Misty took the opportunity of running her free hands though his hair trying to pull him closer into her. They broke apart to catch their breath, leaning their foreheads against each other.

As their eyes met, Misty decided she wanted to say it first this time.

"I love you, Ash."

He smiled and quickly kissed her again "I love you too, Mist."

They went back to the hotel, hand in hand. Pikachu, who had been excited to hear that his two favorite humans were now a couple, was happily perched on Misty's shoulder. As they walked into the room, they saw Gary and a woman jump apart from each other on the couch. Before anyone could react or in Gary's case, explain what was happening, the woman jumped off the couch and ran straight toward the new couple.

"Oh my Arceus! You're Ash Ketchum!" she screamed excitedly

Feeling slightly uncomfortable about the new arrival and her giddiness, he slowly backed up.

"Yeah, I am." He said shyly

"I'm, like, such a huge fan of yours! You're amazing! You're incredible! You're hot! You're…"

At that point, she was interrupted, not by the uncharacteristically quiet Misty watching the whole scenario like Ash had thought would happen. But by the voice of the man she abandoned on the couch "He's taken."

That's when the mystery fan girl looked down to see the Champion's hand clasped in the hand of the redheaded girl. "Oh, okay then. But if it doesn't work out, my name's Chelsea and Gary has my number." She winked as she walked away, swaying her hips emphatically as she entered Gary's bedroom. "Are you coming or not?"

Gary looked over toward the door, and yelled "In a minute, gotta do something first."

He walked over to Ash and Misty, patted Ash on the back and ruffled his hair. "Congratulations, Ashy-boy. I knew you could do it. By the way, you're welcome."

Ash just looked back at him incredulously. "You mean you planned that whole thing?"

"I know you like a book Ashy-boy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to." Gary smirked as he walked toward his door.

Misty being Misty wanted to get one more sarcastic comment in before he left. "Other matters, sure. Seems like you picked a real winner there, Gary."

Not being bested, Gary had a quick remark of his own. "If you're gonna be jealous, Red, at least add a little subtlety while Ash is in the room." He snickered as he heard her frustrated growl after he entered his room, closing the door behind him.

Chelsea was lying on the bed waiting for him. "What took you so long?"

Gary smirked before turning out the light and answered coolly, "Sorry babe. A friend's work is never finished."


End file.
